


Turn Up the Music and Pray That She Makes it Through

by lionessvalenti



Category: One Tree Hill
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Drama, F/F, Femslash, Future Fic, Head Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-07
Updated: 2013-11-07
Packaged: 2017-12-31 19:39:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1035608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionessvalenti/pseuds/lionessvalenti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Only three days before their wedding, Brooke is in an accident and Peyton is left waiting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turn Up the Music and Pray That She Makes it Through

**Author's Note:**

  * For [littlerobbergirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlerobbergirl/gifts).



> This story is a post season five AU, and I suppose it fudges the timelines of when same sex marriages became legal in New York state. Also, everything I learned about medicine, I learned from TV, so that tells you about how accurate this is. Title comes from "Girl in the War" by Josh Ritter.

"Good morning, girlfriend."

Peyton turned and smiled at Brooke. "Morning." She tilted her head back and accepted the kiss Brooke offered. She looked back to her mess of papers that had been spread all over the counter, a few marked with coffee rings.

"Did you come to bed at all last night?" Brooke asked. She picked up the coffee pot and poured herself a cup.

"I napped on the couch," Peyton admitted. She started putting the papers back into the wedding binder. She knew Brooke would go bonkers if things were _too_ out of place. Everything had been in the big, blue three-ring binder for a reason. "I'm just trying to sort out these last minute details."

"You do know we have a wedding planner for that, right?" Brooke asked. She walked around the counter and sat on the stool next to Peyton's. She wrapped her hands around her mug. It was a little chilly in the apartment, with the air conditioning on high to combat the sweltering summer outside.

Peyton rolled her eyes. Their wedding planner was merely a formality who had secured their venue. After that, Brooke took over. Peyton didn't mind -- she was used to Brooke (of course she was, she marrying her), and she knew Brooke could throw one hell of a party. It had to have been the easiest job their wedding planner had ever taken on for New York City's elite.

"I saw that," Brooke said.

"We're just getting married in three days," Peyton said, trying to sound more sheepish than she actually felt. She shrugged slowly, pulling her shoulders all the way up to her earlobes. "I can be a control freak sometimes, too. And speaking of, I have to stop by the studio today. I got a panicked text from Delia a couple hours ago. I'm not the only one who isn't sleeping. I have to go calm her down."

Brooke looked at Peyton through narrowed eyes, but with a hint of an amused smile on her lips. They were both workaholics, but Brooke had put all of that energy into the wedding as of late, while Peyton was trying to produce a record in the next three days. "All right. But don't forget, final fittings are today. Two o'clock."

Peyton dropped her shoulders and smiled. "My god. We're getting married on Saturday. Who would have ever thought?"

"I don't know, but it's pretty cool, right?"

"The coolest." Peyton leaned over and kissed Brooke again. "I love you, B. Davis."

"I love you too, P. Sawyer."

* * *

Peyton was pulling her hair up in a ponytail as she walked down Fifth Avenue, but she couldn't quite get all the little hairs on the back of her neck up in it, and instead they lay plastered against her skin. She'd been trying to grow out her last haircut, but the layers weren't cooperating. The hair person Brooke hired for the wedding told her that she could make it look beautiful for the pictures, but Peyton was still resisting the urge to get it cut the next day.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she smiled, knowing it was Brooke. And sure enough, it was, a text asking how close she was.

Peyton pushed open the door to the store, where Brooke was standing by the counter. "Pretty close. Sorry I'm late."

Brooke turned and grinned, as she dropped her phone into her purse. "Hey. Good. How'd it go at the studio?"

"Storm calmed. I told Delia she's not allowed to have a nervous breakdown while I'm on my honeymoon. Buzzy can handle everything while I'm gone, but--"

"Your artists trust you, and that's a good thing," Brooke said. She grabbed Peyton's hand. "Now come on. Dresses. I've already tried mine on and it's _gorgeous_."

Per Brooke's very old fashioned rules (about some things, since other things, like, say, marrying men, had gone out the window), they weren't allowed to see each other in their dresses before the wedding, but considering that Brooke was the designer of both dresses, it made it difficult when it came to fittings.

"How's it feel?" Brooke asked from outside the dressing room.

Peyton smiled at her reflection. Brooke, as usual, had knocked it out of the park. While Peyton hadn't seen Brooke's dress in person, she'd seen sketches of it. She knew it was a long, white event of a strapless dress. It had a lot of sparkle around the bodice and down the length of the train.

Peyton's dress, on the other hand, was short, just above the knee, and black with spaghetti straps that also sparkled along the flared skirt of layered lace. For dresses that were night and day in color and style, there was something about them that just _went together_. It was like they were the perfect components of both of them. It wasn't easy to understand, but when you looked at them, they were a pair.

"It's great," Peyton called. "That tugging at the waistline is gone. Brooke, I think it's perfect. If it wasn't for your dress, I'd say this was your masterpiece. I can't wait for you to see it."

"I can't wait to see you in it," Brooke replied. "Hey, girlfriend, I've got to go. Are you good?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Peyton frowned a little. If she'd gotten there on time, they might have had at least a few seconds to spend together. Things were supposed to be hectic the week before a wedding. That's why they had the honeymoon, so they could finally see each other. "I'll see you at home tonight."

"See ya!" Brooke called, her voice already smaller, like she was literally walking out the door as she spoke.

Peyton changed out of her dress (her _wedding dress_ ; the thought was still sometimes so surreal it made her nearly giddy) and back into her street clothes. She admired a few of the other dresses on her way out, and then took a deep breath of the stale, cool air of the store before she braved the heat outside.

She stepped outside, and glanced down toward the corner Fifth and 45th where traffic was stopped, and people were crowded around something. A bike cop tried to keep them back, insisting loudly that an ambulance was on its way.

Peyton walked toward the corner, drawn to it, and she was still a few feet away when she recognized the woman in the cross street, her one foot bare, the other high heel barely hanging onto her toes, with her dark hair going in every direction, and her arm twisted at an impossible angle at the elbow. There was a woman kneeling next to her, hand on Brooke's wrist on the arm that wasn't clearly broken.

"Brooke?" Peyton called, her voice sounding hollow and cottony in her own head. She picked up her pace to a run, to get to Brooke, but she ended up in the arms of the bike cop, keeping her away.

"Stay back, miss," he said.

"That's my wife! My girlfriend!" Peyton said, and she could hear the sound of sirens approaching. "We're getting married. We're, we're... we were just with the dresses." Her words weren't making sense, and she couldn't make her tongue work right.

"Then you need to stay back," he replied, this time not as sharply. "Help's on its way."

"What happened?"

"A guy ran a red light when she was crossing the street. She was hit head-on."

"Brooke--" Peyton tried again, but she could barely get the words out. Her heart felt like it was about the explode through her chest and she couldn't breathe. Was this a heart attack? Her vision blurred and she felt her knees go out from under her, her body limp and only supported by the cop.

The next thing Peyton remembered was laying on a hospital emergency room bed. A white sheet printed with the hospital's logo was separating her from the rest of the room. She sat up. "Brooke? Where's Brooke?"

She climbed out of the bed and her feet were bare against the cold tile floor. She pulled back the sheet, but the other beds were also separated by sheets. She clung to the sheet and called, "Can someone help me?"

A nurse came down the hall and carefully took Peyton by the arm. "You need to lay down."

"My girlfriend--"

"She's in surgery," the nurse replied. "You had a panic attack and blacked out. You need to lay down, Miss Sawyer. Would you like some water?"

"Surgery?" Peyton repeated, not really hearing anything after that. "Is she okay? Is she going to be okay?"

"Dr. Nunez is a fine surgeon," the nurse said, and Peyton wasn't so out of it that she didn't realize her question hadn't actually been answered. "Now, please, sit down, at least."

Peyton backed up and sat back down on the bed. "How long have I been here?"

"Less than an hour," the nurse said, which was curiously vague. "Is there someone you'd like for me to call?"

"I can... I can call," Peyton replied, and the nurse disappeared. She reached for her purse with a shaking hand and pulled out her phone. Who was she supposed to call first? Victoria? Brooke's assistant? She wondered where Brooke's purse and phone were. Her phone must have been ringing until either someone shut it off or the battery died. When Brooke didn't show up somewhere, people noticed.

Peyton thought about all the wedding guests who were going to start showing up in a day or two. Haley, as their joint maid of honor, was going to be there tomorrow. Nathan and Jamie were going to show up the day after, and her father was going to be there first thing on Saturday. Was there even going to be a wedding now?

Of course there was. Brooke could wear her dress with a broken arm. Nothing would stop Brooke from being at that ceremony. Unless...

Peyton closed her eyes. She could feel the tears forming, but she wasn't going to cry. Not unless there was something to cry about. She wouldn't let herself think otherwise.

She scrolled through her contacts and selected the only number besides Brooke's that would calm her any at all.

The phone rang twice before someone picked up. Peyton took a deep breath so her voice wouldn't come out shaking.

"Hey, Lucas? It's me."

* * *

Hours passed, and Peyton had been officially discharged from the hospital. She sat in a waiting room fiddling with her engagement ring. She loved the way the white gold twisted around the orange sapphire in the middle, holding it in place, surrounded by tiny clear diamonds. Brooke's was exactly the same, except for a classic blue sapphire instead of the orange. Peyton hoped it had been put somewhere with care.

"Peyton?"

She looked up, and there was Lucas. Her jaw dropped.

"How'd you get here?" she asked. She had just been talking to him and he was in Tree Hill. Now he was here.

"We traded in our tickets for Friday for the next flight out," he replied.

"Oh my god." Peyton got to her feet and practically fell into Lucas' arms. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered.

"How's she doing?" Lucas asked, not pulling away. In fact, he held her tighter.

"She broke her right arm in three places, and she's got swelling in her brain. She's not awake, Luke." Peyton's voice cracked. "She might not remember anything when she wakes up, or she won't be able to talk." The doctor hadn't said as much, but she had made the mistake of looking it up on her phone after the doctor had walked away.

"Have you seen her?"

"No, she's still in recovery. They're going to take her to the ICU and then I can... I can see her then." Peyton swallowed hard to keep from crying and pulled away. "You didn't have to come all the way up here today."

Lucas smiled faintly. "It's Brooke, Peyton. Of course I did."

Of course he did. She looked around, like maybe she'd missed something. "Where's Cassie?"

"She's taking our stuff to the hotel. She told me to go ahead."

Peyton had only met Lucas' wife once, at his wedding, but she seemed nice enough, and definitely understanding. "So, she didn't mind you running off to visit your ex-girlfriends?"

She'd meant it as a joke, as weak as it might have been, but maybe that was still a sore subject. She'd avoided Lucas after she turned down his second marriage proposal in Vegas, running off to New York with Brooke and taking her business with her. When Red Bedroom Records flourished in the city, there wasn't any reason to go back to Tree Hill, so she stayed. She stayed and she fell in love with the one person who had always been there. Sometimes she thought she had Lucas to thank for her happiness, that if they hadn't gone to Vegas, if she hadn't realized that he wasn't what she wanted, she never would have gotten there. But there was never a way to thank someone because you broke their heart.

"My ex-girlfriends who are getting married to each other?" Lucas asked with raised eyebrows. He smiled. "She's not too worried."

Peyton cracked a smile, but it only lasted an instant. "I don't know if we're going to get married now. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm... I'm--" There was no stopping the tears this time. She finally broke down, her hands over her face as she sobbed. Lucas wrapped his arms around her again, and gently guided her back to the chairs.

She didn't know how long she cried for, but when she finally stopped, she didn't move, letting herself be wrapped up in Lucas' comfort. He was always good in a crisis. Brooke had said that years ago, and she'd been right.

"Miss Sawyer?"

Peyton scrambled out of Lucas' arms to pay attention to the nurse in front of her. Thankfully, it was a different nurse than the one from the ER who had been so cold and vague. "Yeah?"

"We've moved Miss Davis to the ICU. I can take you to see her now, if you'd like, though she's still unconscious." The nurse glanced at Lucas for a moment. "Family only."

"I'll be right here waiting for you," Lucas said, running his hand along her back.

Peyton got to her feet. "I want to see her," she said, and the nurse nodded. Peyton was very aware of her stupid red flip flops and the hem of her jeans dragging along the floor as she followed the nurse down the hallway. She didn't feel like an adult. She felt like the same kid who walked the halls of the hospital in Tree Hill after her mother's car accident.

"I want to warn you," the nurse said gently, "that Miss Davis suffered a lot of injuries. There's a lot of bruising and swelling."

Peyton nodded, her mouth suddenly unable to make words as the nurse opened a door. Peyton walked through it, and there was Brooke, laying on the bed, but it hardly looked like her.

Brooke's face was covered with bruises, and her eyes were so swollen, there was probably no way she would have been able to open them, even if she were awake. Her arm was up in traction, and she had an oxygen tube in her nose, going up and over her ears, along with a tube down her throat. But what was most startling was how Brooke's head had been shaved and there was a nasty looking scar along one side of her head.

"Oh my god." Peyton went to the chair beside Brooke's bed and took her hand. "Hey, girlfriend," she said, trying to keep the tears out of her voice, but that didn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "You better get up soon because we have a wedding to go to, remember? And I still need to see you in that dress, so you need to wake up, okay, Brooke?"

But the only response was the beeping from the heart monitor.

She stayed with Brooke for nearly an hour before a different nurse came in and told her that the visiting hours were over. Peyton must have looked distraught, because the nurse added, "We'll call you if she wakes up. You can come back in the morning."

It wasn't until she was in the cab with Lucas that Peyton registered what was said. "He didn't say when."

"What?" Lucas asked.

"That nurse. He told me he'd call me if Brooke woke up. Not when. If."

Lucas took her hand. "I'm sure he meant when." He paused, studying her face. "Is there someone I can call to stay with you? You shouldn't be alone."

Peyton shook her head. "No, I'm just going to go home and go to bed. I called Brooke's assistant and the wedding planner, and they're taking care of all the wedding stuff. Since we're definitely not having a wedding on Saturday." She held back a sob, determined not to cry until she got home where she could do it in privacy. She'd cried all over Lucas enough times in her life. "Even if she wakes up right now, there's no way."

"Can you give me those numbers?" Lucas asked. "I can help, even if it's just calling people to let them know what happened."

"Yeah. Yeah, thanks." Peyton got out her phone and gave Lucas the phone numbers, just as the cab pulled up in front of her building. "Hey, Lucas, thanks for coming. And thank Cassie for me too."

He nodded. "Yeah. Get some rest."

Peyton hardly remembered the doorman letting her in, or taking the elevator up to her apartment. She just remembered falling into bed, still dressed, and passing out.

* * *

Peyton woke up and for a second, she thought it was two days until the wedding. Then she remembered what happened. There wasn't going to be a wedding. Brooke was in the hospital. She grabbed her phone to see if anyone had called, but no one did. Lucas must have asked people not to.

She crawled out of bed, her jeans feeling heavy around her hips, so she unbuttoned them and let them drop on the floor. In just her tee shirt and underwear, she walked out into the kitchen to make some coffee. Except there was already hot, fresh coffee there.

"Hello?" Peyton called. She wished she had a bat or something, but then again, what kind of robber would take the time to make coffee? It was probably Stephen, Brooke's very gay assistant.

"Peyton?" It wasn't Stephen, but Peyton knew that voice. Haley walked into the kitchen from the living room.

"Haley! What are you doing here? Didn't Lucas call you?"

"Yeah, he called. That's why I took an earlier flight. What did you expect me to do when I heard?" Haley enveloped Peyton in a hug. "How are you doing?"

"Like I'm going to fall apart," Peyton replied, wrapping her arms around Haley. "I'm so glad you're here. And I'm not dressed."

Haley laughed. "That's okay." She pulled back. "I'm here to do anything you need me to. Wedding stuff, work stuff, I'm here. I know you're still working on Delia's album, so if you need me to do anything there, I can."

Haley had come up to New York several times since Peyton left to assist on albums, whether it was producing, playing piano or guitar, or doing back-up vocals. Peyton had been encouraging her to put out an album herself, but she was so busy during the school year with work, the timing had never worked out.

"Thanks," Peyton said. "I can probably make a list of things for you to do."

"Are you hungry? I can make you some breakfast."

She shook her head. "No, I just... I need a shower. Then I'm going to go to the hospital, I think. But I'm glad you're here, Haley, I really am. I don't know why I don't think people should be here."

Haley gave Peyton's arm an awkward, gentle punch. "That's just how you are. And that's why Brooke's good for you. She doesn't let you get away with pushing everyone away. And since she's... Lucas and I have to do it for her. I know Lucas called your dad, and he's still coming in Saturday morning, but I think that's it for people who are still going to show up. Nathan wanted to come, too, but we weren't sure about Jamie and hospitals, you know?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Peyton replied.

"You get that shower," Haley said before Peyton could say anything else. "Once you're ready, I'll have the doorman get you cab, okay?"

Peyton didn't usually take cabs when she was by herself, but she nodded. Typically, she preferred the subway, even though Brooke thought it was ridiculous when they clearly had enough money to take cabs or Clothes Over Bros town cars everywhere. Peyton just liked traveling with everyone else, and walking down the street, listening to her iPod.

As Peyton showered, she wondered what Brooke was even doing in the street. She had someplace to be. She would have hailed a cab from right out in front of the store. She wouldn't have even gone up to the corner where she might have had better luck. Brooke always seemed to think that cabs should come to her, not the other way around.

Peyton dressed and pulled her wet hair back in a low ponytail. She didn't care how she looked. She thanked Haley one more time, and went downstairs to climb into the waiting cab.

Nothing had changed at the hospital. Brooke was still asleep, though maybe some of the swelling around her eyes had gone down.

Peyton didn't know what to do. She didn't want to leave Brooke's side, but at the same time, she had to do _something_. The sitting here was going to drive her crazy. She hated hospitals. The beeping machines, the distinct hospital smell, and the unrelenting feeling of utter uselessness.

"Brooke, come on, baby, wake up," Peyton said, stroking Brooke's hand. "I don't know what to do. If you were awake, you'd know what to do. Even if you didn't, you'd find something to do. Make yourself useful, or at least busy. All I can do is sit here. What do I do in crisis? I cry and listen to music. That's not going to help, is it?"

Or maybe... Peyton reached into her purse and retrieved her iPod. She wished she had her little speakers with her, but the earbuds would have to do. She set the iPod on the pillow next to Brooke's head and turned up the volume loud enough so they could both hear it.

She truly believed that music could heal. There wasn't a lot of crossover between the music she liked and the music Brooke liked, but Brooke always trusted her when it came to music. Well, Brooke needed something with a beat, something they could dance to.

Peyton flipped on Daft Punk and then settled back in her chair. Eventually, Brooke wouldn't be able to resist the call of the music.

After a few songs, the door opened and Peyton looked up, and there was Victoria Davis, looking cold, calm, and put together. "What are you doing here?" Peyton asked. Despite her split second thought of calling Victoria the day before, she hadn't done it. She didn't even think about it again. She and Victoria had never gotten along, and Peyton hated the way that Victoria treated Brooke. And that Brooke, despite putting her foot down here and there, let her.

Victoria's face stayed in the stony expression that Peyton always pictured when she thought of Brooke's mother. "My daughter, who is also the face of a large company, is in an accident and you don't think I'll know about it? What are you doing here? They said it was family only."

"I'm engaged to your daughter," Peyton replied tersely.

"You're not married yet," Victoria said.

She knew Brooke and Victoria had been arguing about this since she began dating Brooke two years earlier. Victoria said it would be bad for the company if it came out that Brooke was a lesbian ( _Which is what the press will call it, no matter what ridiculous label you want to put on yourself_ , Victoria had said), but Brooke said it would just open up the clothes to a new demographic. Lesbians needed clothes too.

Only one family advocacy group decided to boycott Clothes Over Bros, but the bigger news story was about Brooke's latest "publicity stunt" to bring in new customers. The controversy cooled down after a couple of months, especially as Brooke and Peyton stayed together and got engaged, but Brooke never gave up the idea that it was Victoria who had started it just to make a point. Business went on just fine, regardless.

Peyton did not want to fight with Victoria. She took a steadying breath. "Did you talk to the doctors?"

"I did. They said that if the swelling didn't go down, they'd have to go in again to drain more fluid," Victoria said.

That was news to Peyton, who had only spoken to a nurse this morning, but she refused to look surprised. She wouldn't give Victoria the satisfaction.

"I suppose your wedding is off," Victoria said, moving further into the room. She set her purse down next to Peyton's on the table.

"Postponed," Peyton quickly replied. She touched Brooke's hand. It felt dry, and Peyton wanted to work lotion into it, but not until Victoria was gone. She sighed. "What the hell is your problem with me? Is it the money? Because I don't care about that. We could broke and living in Tree Hill for all I care. Brooke's been my best friend since we were kids. I'm not out to scam her."

Victoria studied Peyton for a long moment, her arms crossed just under her breasts. "You've always been so... _alternative_. I don't doubt you talked her into this. Because of all your history."

Peyton closed her eyes. What would Victoria think if she knew that it was Brooke who initiated things between them? That it was Brooke who offered the first kiss, who first put her hand down the front of Peyton's underwear? They hadn't even been drunk. Stone cold sober on the couch watching a movie together. Brooke was always the one who made things happen.

"What do you want from Brooke? Besides her company and all the power trip that comes with it?" Peyton asked as she opened her eyes. "Because no one wants you here. Least of all Brooke."

Victoria curled her lip, like she had smelled something rotten. "But who's going to take care of things while Brooke is in the hospital?"

"Get the hell out of here," Peyton said.

"You can't tell me what to do, Peyton. I'm her mother. You're just the girl she's... how _do_ you have sex?"

"I'll draw you a picture sometime."

Victoria laughed humorlessly. "I'll be seeing you, Peyton." She picked up her purse and walked out the door. All of that, and she didn't even say a word to Brooke.

"You better wake up soon, girlfriend," Peyton said to Brooke as _Face to Face_ blared from the earbuds. "Or things are going to get really nasty."

* * *

"I mean, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she was there, but I was," Peyton said to Haley in the hospital cafeteria. While Haley had a salad and a Diet Coke in front of her, Peyton only had a pathetic cup of coffee. "I guess I try to forget that Victoria exists."

"She _is_ a witch," Haley agreed. She wrinkled her nose at Peyton's cup. "Are you sure you don't want anything to eat? When was the last time you did?"

It had been nearly twenty-four hours ago, but Peyton couldn't bring herself to eat while Brooke was being fed through a tube.

"I'm fine," she lied. "I just need Brooke to wake up. I don't care what kind of nasty side effects there are. I don't care if she can't talk or if she doesn't know who am, or anything. I just need to be sure that she's going to wake up."

"She will," Haley said. She reached across the table and took Peyton's hand. "Brooke's a fighter. But she also does things in her own time. This isn't any different."

"I didn't even say I love you," Peyton muttered. She hadn't even meant to say it aloud, it just slipped out.

"What?"

"When she left the dress shop. We didn't say I love you. We always say I love you, but that time we didn't."

"Peyton, Brooke knows you love her."

"I can't lose her," Peyton whispered. _People always leave,_ she thought and closed her eyes before she could cry again.

"You're not going to," Haley replied. She squeezed Peyton's hand. "And when she's on her feet, you guys are going to get married, and it's going to be spectacular."

Peyton nodded and opened her eyes. Haley looked strong enough for the both of them. Brooke, too. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Peyton, really. You don't have to apologize. You're allowed to be scared. It's my job, as your maid of honor, to support you in whatever happens, okay?"

"Okay." Peyton smiled a little bit and picked up her coffee. "Where's Lucas? I thought I'd see him sometime today."

"Cassie took him downtown," Haley replied. "They're not, like, sightseeing, there's just not a lot to do here if you can't go in and see Brooke. And I'm going to tell him to bring you back some food. I don't blame anyone for not eating this hospital food, but if you can resist something from Chinatown, then there's a real problem."

"I don't know if it'll work," Peyton said, "but it's worth a shot. And you know, Haley, you don't have to hang out here with me, either. Maid of honor or not."

"I know, but I want to. Brooke would do this for me. And she'd be determined to take care of everyone around me, so I'm going to do it this time." Haley picked a slice of cucumber out of her salad and took a bite. "And even though you didn't ask, I did go down to the studio and talk to Buzzy about what's going on and she's going to handle everything, just a little earlier than planned. Shes going to try and intercept every time Delia even _thinks_ about calling you."

"I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind it if she did. Just sitting in there is really hard. There's nothing I can do for Brooke besides talk to her and play music." Peyton looked down at her coffee. "That's an awful thing to say, isn't it? They say that they can hear you and all of that. I just feel useless."

"You're not useless," Haley said. "Just give her time."

Haley stayed with her at the hospital for the rest of the day, and when they went back to the apartment together that night, Lucas and Cassie were waiting for them.

"The doorman let us in, I hope you don't mind," Lucas said as he got up from the couch in the living room.

"Not at all, that's what he's there for" Peyton replied. "I heard you were bringing me food."

"There's enough Chinese food for an army in the fridge," Cassie said. "I think we stopped at every restaurant in Chinatown."

"Hey, Cassie," Peyton said. "Thanks for coming up here early with everything going on."

Cassie smiled. She was older than Lucas by a few years, and really cute with olive skin and dark hair that she kept pulled back from her face in a long braid. "I'm just sorry we weren't coming up for the wedding," she said. "How's Brooke?"

"The same," Peyton replied. It was always awkward to be around anyone else Lucas was ever with, but Cassie was cool. She was never threatened by anything, even knowing all the dirty history, at least according to Haley. "Thanks for asking. And I really do appreciate it. And for the food. Let me get my wallet -- I can pay you back."

"No," Cassie said, shaking her head. "It's the least we can do, and then -- Luke, where'd you put the bag?"

Lucas picked up a plastic bag off the counter. "Here. We stopped at an art store and... we got this for you."

"I have art supplies," Peyton said, but she took the bag from him anyway. Inside was a medium sized pad that she could fit into her purse and a set of travel charcoals. One half was shades of black and grey, all the way down to a white, and the other side was a rainbow of a dozen colors.

"You can take it with you to the hospital," he said. "It'll give you something to do, and I think Brooke will like the drawings when she wakes up. She loves your art, even when she doesn't understand it."

Peyton smiled. "Thanks, Lucas. And Cassie, thanks. I guess Haley told you I didn't know what to do with myself when I was in the room when she called."

"Yeah, but I know art's a big part of your process," Lucas said. "If there's anything that will help you get through this... I wanted to do it. We wanted to." He wrapped his arm around Cassie's waist. "We're going to go get some rest, and maybe tomorrow we'll get to see Brooke. We'll see you then, okay?"

"Okay." Peyton set the bag down on the counter and wrapped her arms around herself. "That was nice of them," she said after they'd left.

"It was," Haley replied. She rubbed Peyton's back. "You go get some sleep. There will be coffee and cold Chinese food in the morning. And don't think I can't make you eat -- I'm a mother."

Peyton actually laughed as she made her way to the bedroom. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. She wasn't as drained as she had been the night before, so instead of immediately drifting off, she lay awake in her otherwise empty bed, wishing Brooke were there.

* * *

Peyton took the charcoals with her the next day to the hospital. She sat in her chair and she began to draw. Lucas had been right. Art was part of her process, a diary of sorts, and it kept her hands busy.

Today, Oasis played from the speaker deck she thought to bring. This was an attempt to get Brooke to wake up and tell her to stop being so emo, as well as fitting Peyton's mood a lot more.

When she arrived at the hospital, she was asked about insurance and a lot of questions she didn't know the answers to. Sometimes, being an adult was more difficult that she ever imagined. Dealing with Brooke's healthcare on a financial end of things was way more more complicated than anything else she'd ever done. Including starting up her record label, or trying to find a cheap apartment in LA.

But now she was just with Brooke, her music, and her art. If only Brooke were awake.

Peyton jumped when he phone beeped after receiving a text message. She'd been so absorbed in her drawing, the sound of the music, and the sound of Brooke's heart monitor, that she'd lost track of time. Over an hour had passed.

She got her phone and the message was from Haley, asking her to come out to the waiting room.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Peyton said to Brooke as she tossed her phone back into her purse. She set the pad down on the table and dusted her coal-blackened hands off on the back of her jeans. "Love you."

She walked the long hall to the waiting room where Haley was sitting with one leg crossed over the other and a Starbucks cup in her hand. Lucas sat next to her, with a matching cup, and their heads together, talking quietly.

"Hey, what's going on?" Peyton asked. "Did Delia have a breakdown? I can call her, it's fine--"

"It's not Delia," Haley said as she stood up. "Stephen called me. He didn't want to bug you, but I thought it was too important to just let go. And I don't know what to do."

"What did Victoria do now?" There really wasn't anything else that Brooke's assistant would call about that was this important.

Haley looked pained. "I guess since Brooke's unconscious, she fighting for control of the company."

Peyton sighed. Brooke had never really been able to let Victoria go, no matter what kind of stunt she pulled. She always had a job at Clothes Over Bros, running some division and making the lives of the workers there a living Hell. She was not, however, anywhere near upper management.

"What kind of loopholes has she found?" Peyton asked.

"They're not really loopholes," Haley said. "They don't involve her contracts with the company. It's a lot more complicated than that. While Brooke's incapacitated and until you guys are married, Victoria is in charge of everything Brooke owns. Not just the company, but all of her bills and accounts and assets. If she wanted to freeze Brooke's bank account, she could. According to Stephen, the board is fighting against her for the company, considering that Brooke's only been in the hospital for a couple of days. And when Brooke wakes up, she's going to be back in charge."

 _Then why were they asking_ me _about all the insurance stuff?_ Peyton wondered for a split second before remembering that it wasn't the point. She shook her head. "I don't even know where to begin dealing with this. The only thing I can do is hope that Brooke wakes up, soon. Maybe if I go in there and tell her about all of this, she'll get so pissed off that she wakes up."

"If anyone can will themselves awake with anger, it's Brooke," Lucas said.

"You know," Peyton said slowly, "this all seems to be working out so well for Victoria. I mean, you don't think she'd... set it up, do you?"

"To try and kill her own daughter?" Haley asked, wide-eyed.

"I don't know!" Peyton threw her hands in the air. "Victoria's a bitch, and she's always treated Brooke like crap. And maybe she doesn't hate me because I'm a girl or poor, but because then I'll have the power over Brooke's accounts if this happened _after_ we were married."

"As the only person here with a conniving snake in the grass for a parent," Lucas said, "it's hard to say what people will do to get what they want."

Haley smacked his arm. "You're not helping."

"No, he's right," Peyton said. "I wouldn't put anything past Victoria. I want to wring her freaking neck!"

"That's not going to make the situation better," Haley said gently.

"It'll make _me_ feel better," Peyton muttered. It didn't matter if Victoria had set this up. In fact, it seemed unlikely. But she was using the situation, one where he own daughter was lying unconscious in a hospital bed, to capitalize on what was rightfully Brooke's and that deserved... _something_. Even if was just spitting in Victoria's face.

Haley frowned. "We shouldn't have told you. You've got so much else on your mind right now--"

"It's fine. It's good," Peyton said, but Haley didn't looked reassured. Peyton tried for a smile. "I'm not going to go hunt Victoria down, but if she shows up here again, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind."

"Yes," Lucas said, with a hint of a sardonic smile on his lips, "use your words."

Peyton was about to reply when she saw someone familiar out of the corner of her eye. "Speak of the literal devil," she said loud enough so Victoria could hear her from the other end of the hall. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Brooke's unconscious and you're trying to take her business away from her?"

"I'm trying to _run_ her business while she's unconscious," Victoria replied. "Something you wouldn't know anything about."

They could get into a debate over whose business was more difficult to run, but Peyton wasn't having it. "That's not your job. There's a board for that, and they're trying to keep you from doing what you're doing. They know--"

Her words were cut off by an alarm going off followed by a nurse running down the hall. She was going straight for Brooke's room. Peyton forgot all about Victoria and bolted down the hall after the nurse.

"Peyton!" she heard someone call, but she couldn't even be sure who it was. She reached the door to Brooke's room the same time as a nurse pushing a cart covered with scary looking medical items.  
"You can't go in there," the nurse snapped as he pushed open the door. Peyton could hear alarms going off, and the urge to go in was strong, but she didn't follow the nurse inside. There was nothing she could do in there, except stay out of the way.

Strong hands wrapped around her arms and guided her away from the door as another man, this one probably a doctor, Peyton couldn't tell anymore, went inside.

"Let's go sit," Lucas said, his voice low and soothing. He always was good in a crisis.

Peyton nodded and allowed him to lead her back to the waiting room, but her mind was on the other side of that door. Even if she couldn't be with Brooke, her mind was with her. Her heart.

She curled up in the uncomfortable chair, and with her hand clutched in Haley's, stared straight down the hall and waited for the doctors and nurses to exit the room. Someone could tell her what was going on. She may not understand it, but she needed to hear that Brooke was all right.

"Peyton," Lucas said, nudging her shoulder with his.

She tore her eyes from the hall and turned to him. "What?" Her voice sounded weird, like she was underwater. She wondered if she sounded like that to anyone else. Probably not.

He nodded toward her other side, and she turned to look. Victoria was standing there, just beyond the chairs, and she appeared -- it couldn't be -- worried. Her eyes were wide and her face pale. For the first time, for as long as Peyton had known her, Victoria looked like a mother.

Peyton bristled with anger at first -- how dare Victoria be worried _now_? She didn't get to act like a mother now, but the anger subsided just as quickly. Pushing her out now wasn't going to help anyone.

"Victoria," Peyton said slowly, "do you want to sit with us?"

Victoria looked at her like she'd never seen her before, and certainly not like Peyton hadn't just called her the devil a few minutes before. "I think so," she said, and sat down a few seats away from the rest of them.

A few minutes later, Brooke's room emptied, and a doctor came up to them. Peyton shakily got her to her feet. Her hand was still clutched with Haley's, and she felt Haley squeeze it gently.

"Is she okay?" Peyton asked, already dreading the answer. She'd lost to many people in hospitals.

"She's stable," the doctor replied. He continued to speak, but Peyton didn't hear anything after that. She sank back into her seat and tried to breathe. "Can I see her?" she asked, probably in the middle of a sentence.

"Not yet," he said, and then said a few more things Peyton didn't catch before walking away.

Victoria got to her feet. She looked to Peyton. "Call me if there are any changes," she said, and didn't wait for a response. She walked away, her heels clacking loudly against the floor.

Peyton watched her leave. It was hard to say if Victoria was just cold, or if she simply processed things differently. Or maybe if it was a combination of the two. She was pretty sure she would never understand. All she could do was hope that Brooke was able to make sense of it one day.

"I'm going to stay here," she said, as though someone was going to force her to leave, too. Make her go home and sleep in her own bed. She couldn't do it another night, not without Brooke. Not at least without knowing that Brooke was going to be all right.

"We'll stay with you," Haley replied. "As long as it takes."  
As long as it takes turned out to be all day and one of the longest days of Peyton's life. She only disappeared from her chair to use the bathroom. Cassie brought them all lunch from a deli, but Peyton didn't eat. She just pulled her knees to her chest and waited.

"We're going back to the hotel," Lucas said to Peyton around eight that evening. "We'll be back in the morning."

She nodded, but didn't say anything. She couldn't ask them to stay any longer. Nothing was happening and they had done everything they could for her. She couldn't even express how grateful she was to them.

Not long after they left, or maybe it was hours later, Peyton couldn't be sure, she drifted off to sleep against Haley's shoulder. When she woke up, Haley was shaking her.

"What's going on?" Peyton asked blearily. "What time is it?"

"It's after midnight, but..." Haley smiled. "Brooke's awake. You can go see her."

"What?" Peyton sat up straight. She looked from Peyton to the nurse was standing off to the side, smiling. "Brooke's awake?"

The nurse nodded. "She's a little out of it, but she's asking for you."

Peyton got to her feet and followed the nurse into Brooke's room. It was dark, except for the lights from the monitors and a single soft light above Brooke's head. It highlighted the bruises and scratches on her face, but that didn't scare Peyton. She went back to her chair, right where she had left her sketchbook earlier, and she sat down. "Hey," she said, taking Brooke's hand.

Brooke opened one eye, the other still swollen shut. "Hey," she replied, her voice huskier than usual. "What day is it?"

Tears filled Peyton's eyes to the brim, and a few spilled over, but she smiled. "It's our wedding day."

* * *

"Are you ready?"

Peyton grinned at her father and took his arm. "I'm so ready." She'd spent all morning practically shaking with nerves and excitement, and now the time was here, finally.

Waiting another eight months to get married was difficult, but while Brooke only wanted to wait as long as it took for her hair to grow in, Peyton insisted they wait until Brooke finished her physical therapy. She still had pain in her arm from time to time, and it made a clicking sound when she would bend her elbow, but she was all right. She was alive, and that was all that mattered to Peyton.

She squeezed her father's arm as she heard her music start up. In a few seconds, the doors were going to open and she was going to walk down the aisle with her father. Then she was going to wait as Brooke walked the aisle in her huge, white dress.

"Hey, sexy legs."

Peyton looked over her shoulder and there was Brooke, with her pixie haircut and huge bouquet of colorful flowers. They had been going out of their way not to not see each other in their dresses, but here they were, at their wedding. It seemed almost unreal.

"You look fantastic," Peyton said. "These dresses are perfect."

"I know it," Brooke replied, with a cheeky little grin. "Now, let's go get married."

Peyton winked and turned around just as the doors opened. She had waited long enough and she couldn't wait one more second. She didn't have to. They were getting married.


End file.
